15 Safe Ways to Unclog Your Plugged Up Ears

15 Safe Ways to Unclog Your Plugged Up Ears

Ears clogging up can be a pain many people experience after swimming, bathing, or even flying on an airplane. Fortunately, there are many ways to relieve the pain and open up your ears, sometimes even with things you can find around the house. In fact, there are tricks you can do to help relieve the pressure in your ears without needing anything at all.

We at Info-Ideal are here to help you with a bunch of safe ways to unclog your ears. Many of them are designed to help depending on just how you clogged your ears are.

1. Alcohol and vinegar

There will be times when clogged ears are caused by a bacterial infection. If this is the case, you’ll need a dropper and a mixture of equal parts vinegar and alcohol to put into your ear. Place a cotton ball inside the ear and keep your head still for a few minutes until you feel your ear unclogging. Remember, this solution should only be used if your ear is simply clogged; people who have ruptured eardrums, in which the ears are usually bleeding, should seek medical treatment.

3. Olive oil drops

Here’s a trick that especially helps if your ears became clogged from too much earwax. Heat some olive oil while keeping it safe to use and place it in your ear using a dropper. After 10 minutes, the earwax should be softened enough so that you can remove it using earbuds.

4. Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil works as a lubricant that when mixed with warm water can create a solution that you can gargle to help relieve your ears if used regularly. This trick can also help with a scratchy throat.

5. Saline solution

Sometimes a clogged ear is caused by allergic inflammation. Using a saline nasal spray won’t just help soothe your nose but your ears as well. Take the solution, heat it, and mix in baking soda and salt. Using a dropper or syringe, place the solution into your nose. Make sure to blow your nose before using.

7. Mint leaves and salt

Before you go to sleep, boil some mint leaves and salt, and cover the pot. Cover yourself with a towel as you inhale the steam. Do this in intervals of 15 minutes. Stop if your skin becomes tender, making sure to regularly wash your face after treatments. Make sure not to place your face too close to the pot.

9. Sucking on hard candy or chewing gum

If you like sweets, then this is the trick for you. Simply sucking on hard candy or chewing gum can help “pop” your ears open. The gum chewing method is especially popular with people whose ears become clogged on an airplane.

10. Making a garlic solution or paste

Crush 2 or 3 peeled garlic cloves. Heat them with oil. Once it cools down, place your mixture in your ear. After 2 minutes, drain with a cotton pad. Alternatively, mix 4 to 7 peeled cloves with water and heat for 12 minutes. Crush the cloves and make into a paste. Mix with a teaspoon of salt and then spread within a cloth. Lay your ear on the wrap for a few minutes.

11. Use a blow dryer.

If your ear is clogged due to an excess of liquid, using a blow dryer can help clear things up. Before using it, make sure the device is on its lowest setting, otherwise, you can hurt yourself. Keep the dryer around a foot away and move it back and forth closer to your ear. Use your free hand to tug on your ear.

12. Use tea tree oil and steam.

Mix a few drops of tea tree oil with boiled water. Tilt your head over the water so that the steam reaches your ear. This really helps when your ear is clogged from too much mucus. Alternatively, you can mix a few drops of tea tree oil with heated olive oil and place it inside your ear with a dropper.

13. Make a solution with glycerine or mineral oil.

Mix a few drops of either glycerine or mineral oil with warm water. Use a dropper to put the solution into your clogged ear. Drain after 10 minutes. Keep in mind not to use this trick more than 3 times a day or if you have an infection.

14. Breathe into an Otovent balloon.

An Otovent balloon is a device used to help calm down pressure in your ears. Place your balloon against your left nostril while keeping your right nostril closed. Breathe through your mouth and then hold it. Close your mouth and blow through the balloon with your nose. Repeat between each nostril until you feel the pressure lessen.

15. Try the Toynbee maneuver.

Take a small drink of water, keeping it in your closed mouth. Pinch your nostrils shut and swallow the water. This should cause a popping sensation that will help open up your ears.

Bonus: You can protect your ears from being clogged in the first place.

There are many simple tricks that can prevent your ears from getting clogged in the first place. If you regularly get swimmer’s ear after swimming or even bathing, make it a habit to regularly add drops of rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, olive oil, or hydrogen peroxide to keep your ears clean. Many of these substances repel water and prevent the skin in your ears from getting irritated. In certain cases, there are also medicated ear drops that serve this purpose. Make sure your ear is merely clogged and not ruptured before using the drops.

Do you know any other clever home remedies that can soothe clogged ears? Let us know!